Cancer

For World Poetry Day:

I was no child when they told me you were ill

it was hard to imagine that it wouldn’t take much time to kill

I remember those days when you sat in bed for days on end not feeling quite well

in the beginning you sat with me for hours so I could never tell

The body you had was full of cancer it made you very ill

sadly it’s true, whenever I saw you; you’d smile and make the skies above shine bright blue

the first time I climbed in bed with you I saw the spark in your eyes and couldn’t help but wiggle

for you see, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen that light, it used to make me just giggle

We used to sit and talk for hours on end about why oceans were cold and deserts were hot

spend our time on the machines sewing for hours while that gleam told me I was doing right

couldn’t you tell I was too naïve to tell just how sick you were

you never let on, never told me any different just let me smile and talk beside you

Now you’re gone but I know you loved the time we shared

I wish you never got sick and knew how much I cared

I was commissioned to write a poem for a young woman who lost her mother to cancer. It's rather a sad story to tell, but I think I got enough across